Who is England debutant Shoaib Bashir?

Following confirmation that Shoaib Bashir will win his first cap when England take on India in the second Test starting in Visakhapatnam on Friday, we review the remarkable rise of the 20-year-old Somerset spinner, who only made his debut in first class only in June. .

So England have chosen another recruit?

Yes, after their success in Hyderabad with debutants Tom Hartley and Rehan Ahmed, in his second appearance, England chose Bashir as a direct replacement for Jack Leach – their most experienced spinner on the tour, who was ruled out for cause of injury.

Where is Bashir from?

Bashir was on few people's radar when England named him in their 16 for India in December, ahead of last year's County Championship leading spinner Liam Dawson. He has played just six first-class matches, having signed for Somerset ahead of the 2023 season, and his current record is an unspectacular 10 wickets at 67.00. However, he impressed during a Lions training camp in the United Arab Emirates, taking six wickets against Afghanistan A ahead of Brendon McCullum and Rob Key.

He didn't come by the usual route then?

To say the least. Bashir was part of Surrey's journey from under-9s to under-17s before being released, leading to fears that a professional career would not materialize. But he then caught the eye of Somerset playing for Berkshire Under-18s before impressing on trial and earning a contract.
Gareth Batty, the former England player who is now head coach of Surrey, told ESPNcricinfo: “We didn't have many places in the professional team. Yousef Majid, the left-arm spinner, was the guy with who the club went to and around that.” “Bashir has had a huge growth spurt, which is very difficult for young guys. It can take a while to get back into that comfortable movement pattern, but he's obviously gone in a very, very well-run club in Somerset, and it has flourished.”

What attributes does he have?

That growth spurt – Bashir stands at 6ft 1in – is one of the main reasons he has attracted England's attention. Stokes spotted his potential via social media clips after playing against Alastair Cook on his first-class debut, which he passed on to Key and McCullum on WhatsApp.

England also used data from iHawk cameras worn by umpires at the county circuit to look beyond Bashir's raw averages. “Without sounding like an analyst, he has one of the highest release points in the game,” Key said after his selection in December.

It looks like he's been having a dream for a few weeks…

Well yes, apart from the issues with his Indian visa, that meant he only arrived in Hyderabad on the fourth day of the third Test. Although born in Surrey, Bashir's parents are of Pakistani origin and a long delay saw him return to the UK after England's pre-series camp in the UAE to gain final approval of his entry into India a week after the rest of the team.

Should India be wary?

It's a huge step forward for Bashir, but England will hope he can make a similar impact to Hartley – another 6ft 4in finger – after the Lancastrian recovered from his work in the first innings to claim a match winning seven wickets. the second. Hartley became the third England player in the last 14 months to score five on debut under Stokes, after Rehan and Will Jacks did so in Pakistan, and the captain's sensitive handling could be the key to the quick with which Bashir settles into the test whites.
“It all happened very quickly, in the blink of an eye, really,” Bashir told Somerset's YouTube channel after signing for the club in March. The same could be said of his impending Test debut.